It's a question I'm being asked a lot lately and I think it's because of all the publicity surrounding the recent auction sale of the Villa Nova restaurant in Newport owned by Andy Crean.

With the Crean name being in the news, it's got folks thinking about the fate of the four-acre property in the upper Back Bay, at 2300 Mesa Drive, once owned by his parents, John and Donna.

The Creans were well known for their philanthropy. The estate was the setting for many charity events over the years. It's also where John and I taped our comedy cooking show At Home on the Range.

So it's no wonder folks have been curious about the sale since the property went on the market in November for $19.8 million. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/crean-376595-home-house.html.

I went to the recent Realtor preview open house held by Duffy Routh from Star Real Estate. The place was packed with agents from all over Orange County and L.A. looking around.

But this is a complex property and it will take a special buyer for sure.

With no solid offers as 2012 closed, the price was lowered to $16.9 million in January.

This week the price comes down again to $14.9 million, according to Routh.

"I have about 15 to 20 all-cash buyers with strong interest but no one has pulled the trigger yet," she said. "The Crean estate is motivated to sell and I think now that the price has come down a bit, the property will sell."

So who has been looking at the property?

"Lots of people, we've had some real heavy hitters, mostly locals with families," she said.

Routh says those interested in the Village have their specific reasons.

"I've had younger families tell me they're interested in it because they want their kids to go to Harbor Day and the other wonderful schools in Newport," she says

Because the estate has 18 garages, it's of particular interest to car collectors. This location also works well for private jet owners since it's so close to John Wayne Airport, she said.

Routh, an equestrian, tells me the fact that the area is zoned for horses has also been a strong selling point.

She says initially when the property first went on the market there were a few who looked at it with a bed and breakfast business in mind. But says she didn't see how the numbers would work due to the cost, and doubted the city would even allow it. So the B & B idea went nowhere.

I asked her if she was getting interest from folks in L.A. She says not really – it's all Orange County and especially Newport.

As we talked, she told me some have looked at the property as a remodel – while others love it the way it is.

"I had one guy who was into go-karts and he had visions of racing through the place since the driveways almost form a perfect figure eight," Routh said.

Living in the neighborhood myself, I've been hearing some very strange rumors about who might buy the property.

One neighbor told me last week he'd heard the Church of Scientology was looking at it.

Another said he'd heard an Arab sheik was eyeing the property for his harem.

And yet another was convinced the four acres were slated to be subdivided.

When I told Routh what I was hearing, she laughed.

"I can tell you that I haven't heard from Tom Cruise or the Church of Scientology," she said. "Though I've shown the property to a good number of potential buyers, a sheik and his harem weren't among them. The property also can't be subdivided."

She's been contacted by two different movie companies to use the property for shooting. However, the estate passed on those offers because it would mean taking the house off the market during production.

Routh says selling the Village Crean has been an amazing experience and provided her with some funny moments.

For those potential buyers not afraid of heights, Routh takes them up to the roof of the mansion, which looks like Tara in the movie Gone With the Wind.

"We stand on the roof and the view is spectacular from there – though last week when the Santa Ana winds kicked up I did have a client's hairpiece blow away!" she said.

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